1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to rapidly deployable flexible enclosure systems for the collection, containment and presentation of hydrocarbon emissions from compromised shallow or deepwater oil and gas well systems, pipelines, and subsea fissures. In particular, the invention relates to such systems used in conjunction with enclosures connected to floating platforms for separating and routing liquid and gaseous hydrocarbon products captured by the enclosure systems.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Oil leakage and or other environmentally sensitive hydrocarbon emissions originating from varied underwater compromised locations, including natural events, need to be addressed quickly and effectively to minimize damage. The longer the delay to respond and provide effective remediation for these situations, may cause unintended and exponential problems across economic, environmental and societal realms.
Current resources and technologies are limited to one incident at a time within the same response area. This is due to limited availability of an extensive required support infrastructure, the cost, and with few staged deployment locations. There were 1361 offshore projects active in 69 countries, operated by 198 companies as of Jul. 7, 2012.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill (or BP oil spill) began gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico on Apr. 20, 2010 after an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killing 11 workers. It was not capped until Jul. 15, 2010, after 4.9 million barrels of crude oil were spilled into the Gulf. The economic and environmental devastation caused by this disaster are well known.
Government entities and regulators, as well as oil and gas companies, continue to search for improved methods to address future oil spills. There are a number of small to large scale Oil Spill Response Organizations (OSRO) all with inherent limitations in response times and capabilities.
In February of 2011, A group of oil companies led by Exxon formed a consortium called the Marine Well Containment Company MWCC and announced that they had developed a system that could stop an undersea oil spill in a matter of weeks, rather than the 85 days it took to cap the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The system is designed to be assembled within two to three weeks after an oil spill begins.
Helix Energy Solutions, which assisted with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, has developed a Fast Response System for future spills. Helix incorporates a number of deployed and operational resources that will stop work and redirect the vessels and required resources to the spill location.
BP recently constructed their own system weighing some 500 tonnes that requires 35 trailers, seven aircraft (Five Russian Antonov AN-124 and two Boeing 747-200s) to transport from storage to a major airport and then fly to the nearest airport that can handle such aircraft and equipment close to the spill location to start unloading for deployment. BP claims this system can be transported and deployed within ten days.
What is needed is a readily transportable, quickly deployable system to collect and contain hydrocarbon emissions from compromised shallow to ultra-deepwater oil and gas well systems, pipelines, and subsea fissures.